Daily Archives: 28. April 2018

Last friday the United States Government released a damning human rights report on Nigeria, saying “grave violations of human rights” continued to increase in 2017 while officials who perpetrated them were never prosecuted by the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

This article was written by Femi Fani-Kayode. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 360Nobs.com.

It also said, inter alia, that Nigeria is suffering from “ethnic, religious and regional violence”.

This is the bitter truth and the report is a welcome development.

Ethnic cleansing, genocide, mass murder, state-sponsored terror, unprecedented corruption, monumental incompetence, the persecution of opposition figures and their families, the violation of court orders, the intimidation of the National Assembly, the Judiciary and the Fourth Estate of the realm which is the media, the targetting and cold-blooded murder of Christians, Igbo (IPOB) youths and Shiite Muslims, the gradual and incremental Islamisation of the nation, the humiliation of the Church and Christian clerics, the covert support for and encouragement of murderous Islamist and jihadist terror groups like the Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram and so on and so forth are now the cornerstone and hallmark of President Buhari’s govermmemt.

Worse of all he did not have the National Assembly’s approval to withdraw $496 million from the Federal Governments Excess Crude Account which he used to pay for the 12 Super Tucano jets that he purchased from the United States and that are to be supplied to the Nigerian Airforce by 2020.

This makes it an illegal expense which, under our laws, is an impeachable offence. It also makes the whole transaction unlawful.

Even more troubling is the fact that, as long as Buhari is in power, those jets are as likely to be used against innocent and defenceless Nigerian civilians, including women and children, as they are against terrorists.

I sincerely hope that these issues will form part of the deliberations and discussions that will take place in the meeting betwen President Donald Trump and President Buhari in Washington on 30th April.

They should also discuss the shameful way in which the President Barack Obama’s administration interfered in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election and assisted Buhari to come to power and the $500 million that the Buhari administration contributed, through various fronts and companies like the Chagoury brothers, to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

And now to the meat of this essay.

In terms of high level military, intelligence and security operations and what are known in western intelligence agencies as “black ops” few events in our history come close to the one that took place in Dapchi a few months ago.

I am not referring to major or cataclysmic events which also had the imprint and involved the input of numerous foreign and domestic intelligence and security agencies like the murder of General Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966 and the coming to power of Lt. Col. (as he then was) Jack Yakubu Gowon or the murder of General Murtala Mohammed in 1976 and the coming to power of General Olusegun Obasanjo or again the murder of General Sani Abacha and Chief MKO Abiola in 1998 which led to the release from prison and the second coming to power of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Those are the obvious ones.

I am referring to the more subtle ones which had less obvious but equally identifiable motives. I will not go into detail and I will not expose the motives. I will just mention the events and the facts surrounding them.

First was the cold-blooded murder of Gloria Okon, an international drug courier, that was working for powerful government officials and men and women in high places and that was about to spill the beans when General Muhammadu Buhari was in power in 1985.

Second was the elimination of Dele Giwa, a prominent and highly respected journalist, by agents of President Ibrahim Babangida’s government in 1986.

Third was the C130 military plane crash in Ejigbo, Lagos in 1992 in which 158 junior and middle rank army officers were tragically killed. The plane was brought down and those gallant officers were left to die slow and painful deaths in the swamp because the rescue operation was purposely delayed. It was more of an execution than a plane crash.

Fourth was the slaughter of Kudirat Abiola, Chief MKO Abiola’s wife, Chief Alfred Rewane, Rear Admiral Omotenhiwa and hundreds of other pro-June 12th and NADECO leaders and operatives by General Sani Abacha’s military junta between 1995 and 1998.

Fifth was the mysterious “plane crash” in Kano in 1996 in which Ibrahim Abacha, the first son of General Sani Abacha, together with his close friends Bello Dangote, Omieba Princewill and a number of others lost their lives. The fact is that most of those that died were killed after the plane had crashed at the crash site by unknown elements and there appears to have been a struggle on the private jet before it came down.

Needless to say the whole thing was covered up by military intelligence and the truth was buried. Not even General Abacha, who was Head of State at the time, knew what actually happened and who was involved until much later.

Sixth was the murder of numerous high profile leaders and political figures during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo between 2000 and 2007 including Chief Bola Ige, Chief Marshall Harry, Chief Dikibo and many others.

Seventh was the bombing of Odi town in Rivers state by the military during the course of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government in 1999 in which hundreds of civilians were murdred.

Eighth was the masscre of dozens of people in Zaki Biam in Benue state by the military during the course of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government in 2001.

Ninth was the blowing up of the Bellview Airlines plane over Lisa, Lagos state in 2005 in which over 100 people perished and which was passed off as a fatal accident and plane crash.

I have said it before and I will say it again: I became Minister of Aviation one year after that crash and I had access to all the relevant security reports and American NTSB documents. According to that NTSB report the plane did not crash but was brought down by what was described as “a low-level incendiary device” which had been planted on the plane before it took off by unknown elements.

Tenth was the murder of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder and erstwhile leader of Boko Haram, whilst in the custody of the Nigerian Police in 2009 during the tenure of President Shehu Musa Yar’adua.

Eleventh was the blowing up of a building in Prophet TB Joshua’s SCOAN Church in Lagos by remote control detonation from a drone as a consequnce of which over 200 people, including many foreigners, were killed in 2013.

Even though the whole event was recorded on CCTV, including the drone and the detonation, this was largely ignored by the authorities and no meaningful criminal investigation into what was clearly an act of terror took place.

The whole thing was passed off by the Government of the day as an accident due to a faulty foundation even though the intelligence agencies knew better.

Despite the Lagos State Attorney General’s simplistic and foolhardy assertion that the State Government would “pursue the case against TB Joshua and his Church to a logical end”, the truth is that what the government is dealing with is a premeditated and well-orchestrated act of terror carried out by highly proficient, skilled and experienced operatives and not one of involuntary manslaughter which came about as a consequence of negligence on the part of the Church authorities or a faulty foundation.

The Lagos State Attorney General, as naive as ever, has no idea that he is being used, that he is on a wild goose chase, that he is helping to shield and protect the real perpertrators of the crime and that he seeks to destroy the legacy and name of an innocent man and Church.

The truth is that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has much work to do if he really wants to know what happened because the “faulty foundation” theory is a brilliant ruse.

I challenge him to ask for all the relevant security reports on this matter. They tell a very different story indeed.

Twelfth was the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014 which was planned, funded, executed and orchestrated by rogue elements in our intelligence agencies in collusion with some disgruntled northern politicians and key members of the then opposition including three sitting governors.

Thirteenth is the secret and cold-blooded mass murder and illegal incarceration of thousands of IPOB youths and members by security forces over the last three years.

Fourteenth is the state-sponsored mass murder of Shiite Muslims at any given opportunity and the ruthless persecution of their members, including women and children over the last three years.

Fifteenth is the overt support that the Federal Government has consistently provided for the Fulani herdsmen who have slaughtered thousands of innocent and defenceless Nigerians, including women and children, over the last three years.

Sixteenth is the covert support that Buhari himself and key players in his political party and administration have given Boko Haram over the last 6 years by funding their operations, openly identifying with some of their core values and ideals and seeking to protect them from the proscription.

They have also protested publicly when the military hits them hard, insisted that the Army uses kid gloves when fighting them, released their top commanders, refused to target and kill their key leaders and paid them vast sums of protection money and ransoms which the terrorists have then used to purchase more arms.

In terms of special ops and secrecy Dapchi falls into this category of events. And the fact that Leah Sharibu, the only Christian amongst the over 100 “abducted” girls, was the only one that was not released speaks volumes. The message is simple and clear.

These complex covert operations are commonly referred to in intelligence circles as “black ops”, “extreme measures” and “wet work” and they are always done in the utmost secrecy and with the full knowledge and sometimes assitance and logistical support of either one or two other friendly and trusted foreign intelligence agencies.

The motives for the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth will be made manifest next year during the presidential election in the event of anyone daring to give Buhari stiff resistance or a hard fight.

This time around it will not only be the dog and the baboon that they intend to soak in blood if a strong challenge is presented to Buhari but the whole of Nigeria and the west African sub-region.

That is why $2 billion has been released from the Excess Crude Account in the last four months to supposedly “fight terrorism”.

That money will not be used to fight terrorism but to arm the terrorists in preparation for the conflict that lies ahead.

Now that President Buhari has formally declared his intention to run in the 2019 election and seeks a fresh mandate I fear that what is coming our way is not just an election but a series of cataclysmic events that will change our lives and our country forever.

Nigeria, with its incredibly incompetent and carefully hand-picked and selected leaders, has been targetted by the powers that be and the chaos and anarchy that we are witnessing in our country today is contrived.

Sadly the Nigerian people have been hoodwinked and appear to be incapable of putting the jigsaw together, asking the relevant questions and demanding the appropiate answers.

They cannot see and neither can they fathom or comprehend the evil machinations of the hidden hand or the dark and sinister world of covert operations and black ops.

They are more than content and happy to watch Big Brother Nigeria and to see, read and believe the rubbish that the government feeds them through the local media.

Saddled with a largely uninquiring press, the truth is that we are more often than not misled and misinformed with a labyrinth and forest of official lies, government cover-ups and disinformation.

I have often wondered why such a well-educated and dynamic people are so trusting when it comes to their Governments and I have often asked why some of us are so naive.

If we wish to know the truth and get to the bottom of such matters we need to sit up and do far better. I trust God that perhaps one day we will do so: that is if the coming chaos does not consume us all first.

This article was written by Femi Fani-Kayode. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 360Nobs.com.

Akinbiyi explained that the accident was caused by wrongful overtaking on the part of the Ford passenger bus with registration number AAA 886 XR, which led to a head on collision with the oncoming truck.

He stated that the truck with registration number LSD 138 XQ, was coming from the opposite direction before the accident.

“The accident happened around Foursquare camp (diversion axis) on the Lagos /Ibadan Expressway. “17 people were involved, 12 persons comprising six male and six female died while three male and two female sustained injuries,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the TRACE spokesman added that the injured victims were taken to Ife – Oluwa Plus A hospital, Ogunmakin while the corpses were deposited at FOS Mortuary, Ipara.

The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, May 1, 2018, as a public holiday to celebrate the 2018 Workers’ Day.

The Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd), announced this in a statement on Friday by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr M. Umar.

He congratulated Nigerian workers on their loyalty, strength of character, hard work, sacrifice and dedication to building a greater country.

General Dambazau appreciated the central role workers play in government activities and decisions, and for keeping faith with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in its resolve to build a better Nigeria.

He, however, solicited the continuous support of the workers in government’s effort to re-position the economy and uphold the shared legacy of all Nigerians.

The Minister wished all Nigerian workers a successful May Day celebration.

At least 59 leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with more than 5,000 of its members in Bayelsa State chapter, have dumped the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The defectors, who cut across the eight local government areas of the state, claimed through their leaders that they returned to the PDP because the APC was confused, lacked focus and had no desirable agenda for the Ijaw people.

While receiving the defectors in company with other PDP leaders in the state at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa on Friday, Governor Seriake Dickson said the APC had shown Nigerians and the Ijaw people that it (APC) had no agenda to make progress possible.

The governor further stressed that many of the returnees were deceived to join the APC but had realised that the party is bereft of ideas and have decided to rejoin the PDP to contribute their quota to the development of Bayelsa State.

With respect to the 2019 elections, Dickson assured party members not to panic as the PDP remained intact and would ensure the defeat of the APC in the state.

He said the PDP government in Bayelsa under his watch had placed the state on the path of peace, prosperity and development, adding that Bayelsans are happy with the party.

He called for more support for the party leadership and assured the returnees that the PDP would create a level-playing field for all aspirants to contest elections.

Dickson said, “The PDP is the only party that has a developmental agenda for the Ijaw people. What we do in PDP is to strategise to win elections and after elections, we work for the development of our people because we are in politics to serve our people.

“The other party comes to kill our people because they lack the vision, they have no agenda for our people except to destroy what our founding fathers have built and what our government is consolidating on. Except us, no person, nobody in the South-South in any party had won election under the ruling APC.

“We were the first to win election in the South-South under the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency. Any person who is deceived to contest election in 2019 on another platform other than PDP will still lose because only PDP can win election in Bayelsa State.

“I am very grateful to all our brothers and sisters for taking the decision to return but while you were away, our party became very cohesive and strong with order and discipline. So watch out for those who want to divide you and sow seed of discord.

“On behalf of your government and the leadership of the PDP, we promise all of you level-playing field and fair play. You are welcome back home to your party. All the leaders who have come, none of them should suffer any loss of prestige or seniority, all of them should be incorporated into the appropriate organs of the team, from their communities, wards, local government area and at the state level.”

At least 59 leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with more than 5,000 of its members in Bayelsa State chapter, have dumped the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The defectors, who cut across the eight local government areas of the state, claimed through their leaders that they returned to the PDP because the APC was confused, lacked focus and had no desirable agenda for the Ijaw people.

While receiving the defectors in company with other PDP leaders in the state at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa on Friday, Governor Seriake Dickson said the APC had shown Nigerians and the Ijaw people that it (APC) had no agenda to make progress possible.

The governor further stressed that many of the returnees were deceived to join the APC but had realised that the party is bereft of ideas and have decided to rejoin the PDP to contribute their quota to the development of Bayelsa State.

With respect to the 2019 elections, Dickson assured party members not to panic as the PDP remained intact and would ensure the defeat of the APC in the state.

He said the PDP government in Bayelsa under his watch had placed the state on the path of peace, prosperity and development, adding that Bayelsans are happy with the party.

He called for more support for the party leadership and assured the returnees that the PDP would create a level-playing field for all aspirants to contest elections.

Dickson said, “The PDP is the only party that has a developmental agenda for the Ijaw people. What we do in PDP is to strategise to win elections and after elections, we work for the development of our people because we are in politics to serve our people.

“The other party comes to kill our people because they lack the vision, they have no agenda for our people except to destroy what our founding fathers have built and what our government is consolidating on. Except us, no person, nobody in the South-South in any party had won election under the ruling APC.

“We were the first to win election in the South-South under the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency. Any person who is deceived to contest election in 2019 on another platform other than PDP will still lose because only PDP can win election in Bayelsa State.

“I am very grateful to all our brothers and sisters for taking the decision to return but while you were away, our party became very cohesive and strong with order and discipline. So watch out for those who want to divide you and sow seed of discord.

“On behalf of your government and the leadership of the PDP, we promise all of you level-playing field and fair play. You are welcome back home to your party. All the leaders who have come, none of them should suffer any loss of prestige or seniority, all of them should be incorporated into the appropriate organs of the team, from their communities, wards, local government area and at the state level.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded that no wage in the country must go below N66, 500 per month.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at a public hearing on new minimum wage, Chairman of the Congress, FCT Council, Amaechi Lawrence Uchechukwu, described the current N18, 000 minimum wage as a ‘death wage’ under the current economic realities.

He said: “I have a joint memorandum prepared by the NLC and Trade Union Congress which has been submitted to the tripartite committee. Let me ask this: can N18,000 pay your house rent in Abuja or in any part of the country? Can you pay your children school fees with it? Is it a living wage or dead wage? It is indeed a dead wage.”

He argued that the prevailing economic realities in the country dictated labour demand for N66, 500.

He added: “That is why the NLC has decided that our demand is to be paid N66, 500 as new minimum wage, no more no less. Minimum wage of N18, 000 since 2011 cannot take workers anywhere. So, without further delay, Labour is saying that the Federal Government should adopt this position.”

On his part, the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said setting a national minimum wage is to provide a floor under which no employer can fall.

He argued that minimum wage is not about states paying same figure but that no state can pay below, saying, “minimum wage is not about an equal wage across the states of the federation. The idea of a minimum wage is that while employers can pay higher, they cannot pay lower than the minimum wage and this also applies to the private sector.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded that no wage in the country must go below N66, 500 per month.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at a public hearing on new minimum wage, Chairman of the Congress, FCT Council, Amaechi Lawrence Uchechukwu, described the current N18, 000 minimum wage as a ‘death wage’ under the current economic realities.

He said: “I have a joint memorandum prepared by the NLC and Trade Union Congress which has been submitted to the tripartite committee. Let me ask this: can N18,000 pay your house rent in Abuja or in any part of the country? Can you pay your children school fees with it? Is it a living wage or dead wage? It is indeed a dead wage.”

He argued that the prevailing economic realities in the country dictated labour demand for N66, 500.

He added: “That is why the NLC has decided that our demand is to be paid N66, 500 as new minimum wage, no more no less. Minimum wage of N18, 000 since 2011 cannot take workers anywhere. So, without further delay, Labour is saying that the Federal Government should adopt this position.”

On his part, the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said setting a national minimum wage is to provide a floor under which no employer can fall.

He argued that minimum wage is not about states paying same figure but that no state can pay below, saying, “minimum wage is not about an equal wage across the states of the federation. The idea of a minimum wage is that while employers can pay higher, they cannot pay lower than the minimum wage and this also applies to the private sector.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted to being “a little bit surprised” by talk that Steven Gerrard is close to being named as manager of scottish rivals Rangers.

Steven Gerrard, currently employed as Liverpool Under-18s boss, is said to have already held initial talks with the Gers over replacing Graeme Murty from the end of 2017-18.

The 37-year-old was Rodgers’s captain during their time together at Anfield, famously coming close to winning the Premier League title in 2014, and the Ulsterman has warned his former player to make sure that he is choosing the right club for his first job in senior management.

“I was a little bit surprised when I saw it,” he told reporters at Friday’s presser when asked about the speculation. “If it is right then maybe Stevie feels it is the right club.

“He’s always wanted to be a manager. I know from my time working closely with him at Liverpool that it was something he always wanted to do. He’s lived with expectation all his life at Liverpool and as the captain of England.

“When you’re starting out it’s all about when you feel the time is right. It’s not necessarily about the club, it’s about the right club.”

Fuel shortages and negligence caused a plane crash that killed 71 people in 2016, including most members of Brazilian football team Chapecoense, Colombian authorities have concluded.

The plane crashed on Nov. 28, 2016, on a mountain in Colombia just a few miles from Medellin. On Friday, Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority presented the findings of a 15-month inquiry.

Officials say crew members ignored a low-fuel warning when the plane was about 40 minutes from its intended destination.

Instead of making an emergency landing at a nearby airport, they headed on towards Medellin and the British Aerospace Avro RJ85 ran out of fuel.

The plane has alarms and lights that turn on that tell the crew to do something when fuel is low,” chief investigator Miguel Camacho told reporters on Friday.

The report said the plane – operated by charter company LaMia, departed Santa Cruz de La Sierra in Bolivia with insufficient fuel for the 2,972km journey.

“The crew insisted on carrying out their original flight plan, even when they realized they had a very limited amount of fuel,” the report said. “But there was no communication with air traffic control.”

The report followed a 15-month inquiry into the incident by the Colombian authorities, which worked in conjunction with counterparts in Bolivia and Brazil.

LaMia’s general manager Gustavo Vargas Gamboa was charged with manslaughter following the incident.

Criminal charges have also been brought against LaMia co-owner Marco Antonio Rocha, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Diego Maradona has quit as the manager of United Arab Emirates second-tier club Al-Fujairah just hours after his team failed to gain automatic promotion to the country’s top flight, his lawyer Matias Morla announced.

“After today’s draw and not having achieved the goal of promotion for Fujairah, Diego Maradona will no longer be the coach of the team.The decision was taken by mutual agreement and Diego leaves the team in a playoffs position and wishing the best to the club that opened its doors for him,” wrote Morla on his Twitter account.

On Thursday, his Al-Fujairah side drew 1-1 with Khorfakkan. That result meant Maradona’s team missed out on automatic promotion to the Arabian Gulf League and will instead have a two-legged playoff against Hatta in May.

For a very long while I have pondered painstakingly about the relevance of the various means of identification we have in Nigeria and how it has been intricately linked by the various governments at the echelons of power.

Curiously, I ask myself several times if it’s necessary I have all the means of identification the country requires of me for being a Nigerian. And am very sure a lot of you guys also seek answers to these questions?

Questions like which is the most commanding means of identification? Is it mandatory to have all the Identity cards as a Nigerian? What are the repercussions of not having all or none?

Here, we will explain to the best of our understanding the essentialities of having these means of identification.

Generally, in Nigeria, there are four major means of identification, without any of the four means; you may be denied access to so many things in this country.

These documents/cards are accepted by every institution in the country.

They are;

(i) International Passports

(ii) Drivers’ License

(iii) Voter’s Card

(iv) National Identification Number (National ID Card)

While in Lagos, there is a form of identification called the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) Resident cards.

The above documents/cards work hand in hand – for example, one of the criteria of getting the International passports is either by you owning a Driver’s Licence, National Identification Card or Voter’s card.

As we elaborate on each of them, bear in mind that the value placed on the cards varies from various institutions across the country likewise the mode of usage – as in you can’t be in need of assistance from the Lagos government and you expect them to request for your International passport instead of LASRRA or you desire to participate in the coming election yet you go to the polls with your Drivers’ license.

1. International Passports:

International passports are identification documents issued by a country’s authority to certify the identity and citizenship of an individual, and to facilitate the movement of people between different countries.

The Nigerian passports are issued to Nigerian citizens to travel outside of Nigeria. You can get the passport by simply applying at the Immigration offices in the county, or by making submission through its website.

This ID card, which has a set of numbers assigned to an individual upon successful enrolment, is a must have for every citizens of Nigeria. The National ID card which is operated and regulated by the National Identity Management Commission [NIMC] is free of charge.

The NIN once issued to a person cannot be used again, (that is, it cannot be issued to another person even if the previous person is dead). It is the NIN that helps to tie all records about a person in the database and is used to check the identity verified.

Who is qualified to have a National ID Card?

Every citizen from the age of 16 years and above and legal residents are eligible to enrol for the National Identification Number (NIN).

5. LASRRA Resident Cards:

LASRRA stands for Lagos State Residents Registration Agency and is a Parastatal of the Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology. The Agency was established in 2011 and is responsible for the registration of all residents who currently reside in the State, irrespective of age, gender, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, economic, social or financial status.

What is the Lagos State Residency card?

The resident card is formal proof that the card owner is a registered resident of Lagos State. Each authenticated registered resident is issued a unique identifying number printed on a Permanent Resident Card (PRC). This number serves as a reference for the respective individual in his/her identity-proved transactions with government bodies.

The data collected by Lagos State Resident Registration Agency (LASRRA) on the people living in the State, provides government with credible information on the characteristics of the citizenry of the State, which enables more efficient and effective planning and formulation of policies to meet the needs of the people.

How much does the Resident Card Cost?

The card is produced and issued FREE of charge to all residents. Registration is also FREE.

Having said the above, there is no denying the fact that it is imperative as a Nigerian to have these cards/documents so as to access the benefits that are attached to them. It also saves you the stress from any form of harassment from personnel of the country’s security outfits during the times of trouble.

Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Sadio Mane is carrying a minor injury problem, but he is not expected to spend any time on the sidelines.

Sadio Mane was pictured at Liverpool’s Spire Hospital on Thursday, sparking concerns that he had picked up an injury. Klopp admitted the Senegal international does have an issue, but stressed that it was a minor one which still gives him a chance of facing Stoke.

“Of course there is something [wrong]. We will see,” he told reporters at his pre-match press conference. “It is not that serious; there is a chance for tomorrow. If we use that chance or not… it is quite early in the day.

“In these times, you always have to use each second and minute, speak to the player, speak to the Doc, speak to the physiotherapists and all that stuff. At the end, you have to make a decision and I will make a decision.”

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja on Saturday on a working visit to the United States on the invitation of President Donald Trump who he is scheduled to meet with on Monday.

Both presidents are expected to discuss to “discuss ways to enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries”, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said.

The bilateral meeting will also afford both leaders the opportunity to advance shared priorities, such as: promoting economic growth, fighting terrorism and other threats to peace and security.

“The meeting will further deepen the US-Nigeria relationship as the United States considers Nigeria’s economic growth, security and leadership in Africa to be critical aspects of their strategic partnership,” the statement added.

Later in the day on Monday, President Buhari will meet with a group of business persons in agriculture and agro-processing, dairy and animal husbandry.

Talks will also be held between senior Nigerian Government officials and executives of major US companies in the areas of agriculture, aviation and transportation.

In the area of aviation, the Nigerian officials will be meeting with Boeing, the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, on the National Carrier Project, according to the statement.

It added, “On agriculture, they will meet with large equipment manufacturers with focus on harvesting and post-harvesting equipment.

“In the area of transportation, the officials will meet with the GE-led consortium for the implementation of the interim phase of the narrow gauge rail concession.”

Spain

Tottenham are still looking at the possibility of signing Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, and are one of a number of clubs chasing the 24-year-old, including fellow Londoners West Ham. The Portuguese hasn’t had the best of times since moving to Catalonia, but will have no shortage of suitors this summer. (Mundo Deportivo)

Inter Milan want to arrange a permanent deal for Rafinha, who is currently on loan at the club from Barcelona. Inter’s director of football, Piero Ausilio, will meet with the Catalan club in an attempt to agree a fee below the original £30.6m agreed at the start of the loan contract. (Mundo Deportivo)

Germany

Arsenal are in the running to sign Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The German has told the Bundesliga side that he wants to leave in the summer, and they have already arranged to sign a replacement in the shape of Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Lukas Hradecky. Napoli and Atletico Madrid are also reported to be interested in the 26-year-old, who will cost under £20m due to a release clause of around £17.5m. (Bild)

The Gunners are also interested in RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg, and could beat Sevilla and Juventus to his signature. (Bild)

France

Thomas Tuchel wants to sign compatriot Philipp Max, currently at Augsburg, when he takes over at Paris Saint-Germain next season. The French club are looking for left back options and the 24-year-old fits the bill. He’s likely to cost around £20m and they will use income from the sale of Layvin Kurzawa to fund the move. (Le Parisien)

Tuchel will also be in the market for another central defender, with Dortmund’s Omer Toprak a preferred target. The former Dortmund manager wants extra numbers in his defensive ranks to give him the option of playing with a back three. Toprak is expected to cost around £13m. (Le Parisien)

Italy

Juventus are eying up world-class striking options to help them win the Champions League, with Edinson Cavani and Antoine Griezmann at the top of the list. The Uruguayan is thought to be the more realistic of the two targets, but Atletico Madrid’s Griezmann is their preferred choice and they will make a move in the summer. (Corriere dello Sport)

Lazio are interested in Brazil-based attacking midfielder Roger Guedes, who is currently on loan at Atletico Mineiro from fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras. The Italians are looking for a versatile forward who can play wide or behind the striker, and Guedes fits the bill. (Corriere dello Sport)

The other time I wafted through a chink in the sky on a day God was attending to mails, special supplications, visitations and sundry demands from earthlings. Angel Gabriel ferried me through a thousand and one skies, and portal after portal swung free of their log-like locks to admit us.

This article was written by Banji Ojewale. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 360Nobs.com.

We made no stop over. And I observed when we approached a narrow, ornate gate in the distance that we were gradually dropping. Angel Gabriel told me we were only a billion celemetres away from the scene where the Almighty was conducting the audience session.

I was soon dumped into a mansion and told peremptorily by a departing Gabriel that I was already in the presence of the invisible Almighty. He said God had before our arrival read many billions of mails, and heard murmurings, wishes, complaints prayers, curses, oaths, etc, numbering several trillions from men, women, foetuses, children, plants, animals etc, who ceaselessly invoked His Name. I was lucky, he said, as presently three great personages from earth would be brought before the Almighty to deliver their cases.

Angels milled around the spot where God sat in judgment. It was as I seethed in mystery and confusion that an African angel, he had a Nigerian name which I can’t recollect, ushered another African into the great hall. He collected a fat document from the new arrival and gave it to God, Who set it aside and asked His guest to state his case.

“Everlasting Almighty,” he commenced, “You will live forever and ever. Down there on earth hosts of crisis are conspiring against order. The outcome might be a conflagration which would reach Your Empire and disturb Your reign. Let me speak especially of my country, Uganda. Our president is bent on a one-party state.”

He had been offered an arm-chair which he refused at the onset. Now he slipped into it and thundered: “The real issue, Almighty, is that the man and his cronies are going ahead with their plans despite the opposition of the overwhelming majority which I lead. If he persists, Lord, we shall resist and only carnage of Your beloved creation would ensue.”

God is long-suffering. He remained still as the Ugandan poured out the stories of the deprivations of the people under the one-party state programme. Finally, the Almighty said He would help him frustrate the project. Could he however, let the Lord of the universe know what he would do for God if he, now the opposition leader, reached government house later?

The African said he would first execute the man at the head of the idea of political monolithism. And then to reward God for His assistance, he would establish a concentration camp for the country’s atheists, agnostics, and others of any religious unorthodoxy. There, he would willy-nilly convert them to Christianity. More details, he said, were contained in the document with the Almighty.

God trashed the document into the nearby Kingdom of Turmoil. Thereafter, He notified the Lord of Extremists in the contiguous Kingdom that he would be having a guest from Uganda soon.

The next visitor the Almighty Lord had was a woman from the United States. She told God she was aspiring to perpetuate in America the tradition of Sirleaf Johnson, Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, Bandaranaike, Violetta Charmoro, Golda Meir, Benazir Bhutto, Angela Merkel and Corazon Aquino. But the men had each time at the polls conspired to rob her of victory even when the preponderance of women voters was not in doubt. She told God that her husband and male children too had cast their votes in favour of her male opponent. Were this merely so, she contended, she could still have accepted her successive electoral losses. But her brothers and sisters had also been venalized. Four times in her six-time attempts the electoral battle had deadlocked and the law courts became the scenes of arbitration.

“What happened” she asked rhetorically, leaving her low armchair and moving towards God’s throne. An Eskimo female angel stood between her and the Almighty and led her back to her seat as the American wiped off beads of sweat that stood like pus over her face.

Recovering her composure, she stood up again but stayed in her spot and declared: “Female judges, some of the best in the country, presided over the proceedings and returned verdicts unfavourable to me. In two of the cases my female lawyers failed to turn up, sending rather their male neophytes who bungled the matter. Almighty, I’m law abiding and I have resorted only to the laws of the land for justice. All I’ve asked is I wish to be president of my country, I intend to use the talents You’ve given me to uplift my people especially the women folk and the children. I’ve prayed to You Almighty, but to no avail. I desire You to intervene now in the interest of justice which You stand for.”

Rapt in attention, the Almighty said that He endorsed the American’s desire to be the President of her country. But would she then be kind to intimate Him of the revolutionary changes she had in store for her people?

She told God she would initiate far-reaching researches to make for reducing pregnancy from nine to three months; she would break the monopoly of child-birth by women, so that if a couple desired four children two would be born by the man and the other two by the woman; she would double the population of women; she would make lactation a joint affair for mother and father, and finally, she would create a race of hermaphrodites, all these to the eternal Glory of God.

•Ojewale wrote from Ota, Ogun state.

This article was written by Banji Ojewale. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 360Nobs.com.